


The fear that unites us

by filhadoboto



Category: Reylo - Fandom, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben almost surrenders to the dark side, Ben discovers Rey's greatest fear, Ben escapes the First Order, Ben finds the tracker, Ben goes to Takodana, Ben is in the Resistance, Ben thinks about the choices he made in his life, Dark!Rey, Duel with light sabers, F/M, FN-2187 name's Sam, Han and Chewie rescue Ben from Jakku, Kiss in the forest, Lady Kira reveals her plans, Lady Kyra goes to Ahch-To, Light!Ben Solo, Luke and Leia talk, Maz gives him Anakin's saber, Rey interrogate Ben, Rey is Snoke's apprentice, Rey is known as Lady Kira, Rey remembers her past, Rey wants revenge on Luke, Reylo - Freeform, Reylo AU Week, Reylo AU Week 2018, Reylo Canon Divergence, Star Wars - Freeform, Star Wars AU, Star Wars Canon Divergence, reylo au, the Resistance manages to escape, the dark side shows her her future
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2019-07-01 05:37:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15767694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/filhadoboto/pseuds/filhadoboto
Summary: What if Rey was Snoke's apprentice and Ben was the hero of the Resistance?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written for "Reylo AU Week" on Tumblr.  
> August 22 - Day 3 - Canon Divergence AU
> 
> English is not my native language, sorry for grammar errors (In google translate I trust!).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lady Kira capture Ben Solo and interrogates him. But things don’t go as she expected.

***** Lady Kira *****

 

Ben Solo was immobilized and unconscious in the interrogation room chair. He had caused a lot of confusion and had fought with all his might not to be captured and to prevent the other pilot and the map that led to Skywalker were taken by the First Order. He had fought bravely to get time for the other pilot to flee, and even though he was a strong Force user, Rey had captured him in the end.

 

Leaning against the wall in front of the prisoner, arms crossed in front of her body, Rey waited, patiently, for him to wake up.

 

She had heard of Ben Solo numerous times before. The only son of Leia Organa and Han Solo, he was famous for being an extremely skilled pilot, a brave Resistance hero and a powerful Force user, just like her. Rey had waited for many things, but not that he was so attractive. And the longer she spent watching him, the more she felt she knew him. The curve of his lips, the shape of his nose, the way his long black hair framed his pale face ... all looked so... familiar... but how could the face of a complete stranger be so familiar?

 

When his brown eyes finally opened and he realized she was there, he didn’t look surprised.

 

Ben Solo shook his head, trying to wrench a lock of hair from his face, before asking in a casual tone, "Where are we?"

 

"On one of the ships of the First Order." said Rey.

 

He stared at her for a few seconds, seeming to assess her. "So you must be the famous Lady Kira. Or would you rather I call you _Scarlet Death_? "

 

Behind her helmet, she smiled. She had earned her nickname because she always wore a red helmet, cape, and lightsaber. The last thing her enemies saw was her, all dressed in red. "Although be called Scarlet Death don’t bother me, I'd rather be called by my name if you don’t mind."

 

He nodded. "Should I presume, Lady Kira, that you are here to torture me as you do with all the enemies of the First Order that you have managed to capture?"

 

"Oh no. I'm usually called after all the interrogation methods failed. Most cannot stand five minutes with our interrogation droids. But there are those who resist and I only interfere in these cases. I am what they call the _last resort_. "

 

"If you're the last resort, then why are you here? Did you come to watch while the droids tried to break me? I bet you like to see your prisoners being tortured. Maybe their cries of pain are music to your ears."

 

"Contrary to what everyone thinks, I don’t take any pleasure from people's suffering. And, answering your question, I'm here because I know you've seen the map. I am here because my Master and I have no more time to lose. We want the map, and if at least half of what I've heard about you is true, you're not the kind of prisoner that can be broken by droids. So let's skip this step and I'll take the information from you. But don’t worry, I promise I will be as gentle as possible during the process."

 

"And you really think you can make me talk? That I will not try to resist or that it will be easy to get into my mind and get what you want? Be aware that I will fight to the death."

 

She sighed. "So, I guess I can let the gentleness aside."

 

"Go ahead." he said, challenging her "Do your best."

 

"Oh, I'll do it. You can be sure of that." she said "Things get easier when I don’t have to worry about keeping the prisoner's mind intact." she said hoping it would take that defiant look off his face. But Ben Solo just laughed. "Are not you afraid that I will destroy your mind?"

 

"Afraid? Do you have any idea of the things I've already faced? For you know that I have faced something far worse than a mere _masked creature_." he said in a voice full of contempt.

 

_Oh, Ben Solo you're challenging the wrong person. And I'll be happy to make you pay for it._ Thought Rey.

 

For a few seconds, Rey pondered what she would do. Determined, she took two steps toward him, took off the thick red cloak that hid her feminine silhouette and dropped it to the ground at her feet. Underneath her red cloak, Rey was covered in black: pants, long-sleeved blouse, gloves, belt, and knee-high boots.

 

He looked at her from head to toe in surprise. Behind her red helmet, she smiled. Then Rey also took off her helmet and delighted in the reaction of her prisoner. His mouth opened in surprise and the look of shock on his face was priceless.

 

Rey rarely took off her helmet in front of people who were not her master or top-ranking officers of the First Order and knew that people were impressed not only by her being a young woman but also by her beauty. Everyone expected the creature called Scarlet Death to be some kind of deformed and grotesque monster.

 

She was really enjoying what was on Ben Solo's face: he was staring at her open-mouthed, his expression both amazed and confused. It took him a moment to pick up his facade of defiance and indifference.

 

"You're here because I need the map that leads to your uncle, Luke Skywalker." Rey continued the conversation as if nothing had happened. "He and I have some unfinished business. And since you deprived us of the file, but saw the map, I hope you're smart enough to give me what I want." She took a step toward him "I don’t want to hurt you. Please don’t make me take the map of you by force."

 

Ben smiled. "If there is one thing for which I am known, it is by my stubbornness. You're going to have to get the information out of me. "

 

Rey sighed "If you prefer this way..."

 

Rey reached out her arm, brought her hand near to his face and concentrated on exploring his mind. Ben tried to resist, and to prevent her from finding the memory she wanted, he began to think of random memories to try to distract her: _His first flight with his father in the Falcon. The day he defeated his father in the Sabbac game. He and Chewie on the shores of Kashyyyk. His mother wrapped him in his arms, cherishing him. The day Luke spoke to him about what the Force was and how opening up to the dark side was dangerous._

 

"Hmm ... You're strong ... tough." Rey said.

 

More memories flowed in his mind: _His first flight in an X-Wing. His shooting lessons with uncle Lando. One of his visits to the Galactic Senate with his mother. His father telling one of his adventures with Chewie. His visit to the tomb of his grandmother Padme Amidala in Naboo..._

 

"I like a good challenge. But it's no use resisting."

 

But he continued to resist: _His fascination at seeing Coruscant for the first time. The first time he drove the Falcon at light speed. The thrill of destroying a fleet of TIE fighters chasing after his squadron. The day Admiral Akbar showed him the controls of his Cruiser. The first time he had kissed a girl..._

 

"I'll take the map out of your mind. I always get what I want. Whatever the cost."

 

She brought her face close to his and his eyes fixed on her lips for a few seconds.

 

Rey laughed softly. "I think I know how to get information from you, Ben Solo." She put her hand on his face and gently brushed her gloved thumb over his lower lip. Ben tried to maintain an expression of indifference, but that was not what Rey saw in his eyes or felt through the Force. She then whispered in his ear. "You think I'm pretty and you cannot help but think how my lips would feel upon yours."

 

"Hey! That's personal!" His cheeks were red "Get out of my head!" He said between his teeth.

 

Rey looked into Ben's eyes and brought her lips close to his. "I'm going to leave. When I get what I want." she said, her lips almost touching his, and took advantage of his immediate distraction to try to find the memory of the map.

 

His face blushed even more and the image of the two kissing flowed from his mind to hers. She tried to ignore the image and move on, but then ... But then something went wrong. Very, very wrong.

 

"You... you're afraid... you're afraid of being alone. You're afraid of being abandoned again and die alone" said Ben.

 

Rey withdrew from his mind and walked away, incredulity and fear stamped on her face. Somehow, he'd gotten into her mind without either of them noticing.

 

"How... how..." she began, but the surprise of having her greatest fear revealed by that man made her paralyzed.

 

"So that's your biggest fear? The mighty Lady Kira is afraid to be alone? "He said as she stared at him in disbelief. He looked her up from head to toe and fixed his eyes on her face. "After all, you're just a _frightened girl._ " he continued, his voice filled with compassion.

 

She looked at him and saw that he felt sorry for her and it made her furious. Her hand rested on the lightsaber strapped to her waist. "Don’t you dare call me a frightened girl." Her voice was filled with anger. "You don’t know me. You have no idea what I can do."

 

She turned her back on him and took a deep breath to regain her self-control. She could not be intimidated by him. She had a mission to fulfill. She had a goal to achieve. And nothing, no one would stand between her and her revenge.

 

"You know what." Ben said, his voice full of unexpected gentleness, and she turned to him. "You're not the only one who feels lonely. I feel that way too. I'm afraid I'll never be able to fit in." His face filled with sadness and he looked away from her.

 

Rey took a step toward him, her fury being replaced with curiosity.

 

He looked at her and his eyes were full of something she knew very well. "You have no idea how lonely it is to be the son, the nephew, and the grandson of legends. My grandfather, Anakin Skywalker, was a powerful Jedi and later became Darth Vader, the most feared Lord Sith in history, and my grandmother, Padme Amidala, was Queen and Senator of Naboo and fought for freedom from the galaxy until her death. My parents and my uncle helped liberate the galaxy from the clutches of the Empire. And it wasn’t enough to be a powerful Force user, I have to live with this _heavy_ legacy on my shoulders, always being compared to those who lived before me." Ben's voice was loaded with sadness "Everyone around me is waiting for me to follow their example and strive to rid the galaxy of the oppression of the First Order. Everyone expects me to be the great hero this time. But no one ever bothered to ask if this was what I _wanted_ to do. They just threw me in the middle of it all and I had to pretend I had chosen to be the savior of the galaxy just as my family did before me."

 

She looked at him in silence. And she had no idea what to say to him. Rey had lost her family very early and had to live alone for many years in the Jakku desert until Snoke found her and took her as his pupil. He had taught her to use all her anger and hatred to get stronger and stronger. Until becoming the fearsome Lady Kira and being called by many as the Scarlet Death, she had been a nobody, alone, without family, without legacy, with nothing but her life and her desire for revenge. And now she was standing before someone who, even having everything she ever wanted, was as sad and lonely as she was.

 

"I don’t know what to say... you had... you have everything I've never had... I..."

 

Ben gave her a look of pain. "Have you ever imagined that it was possible to be lonely even though you had a family that loves you?" He tried to smile, but eventually he did something between a grimace of pain and a smile. "But that's exactly how I feel."

 

Rey looked away from him and once more the silence filled the room.

 

He sighed and broke the silence. "May I ask what kind of subject you have to deal with my uncle?"

 

Rey hesitated before speaking. "Luke Skywalker killed my entire family and dumped me in the Jakku desert to die. I joined the First Order to be able to take revenge on him." He looked at her intensely and this time Rey didn’t look away.

 

"I know my uncle killed many people during the war, but you seem too young to have been born during the war against the Empire."

 

"You're right. I was born years later. But the end of the war didn’t prevent your uncle from continuing to kill people." She closed her eyes. "I will never forget the murderous look on his face. I will never forget the green glow of his light saber crossing my father's body, or how he used the Force to crush my mother's throat." Ben stared at her as she opened her eyes. “I watch Luke Skywalker kill my parents every night." Rey's eyes filled with tears, and she stopped talking before she cried in front of Ben Solo.

 

He stared at her for a moment, as if deciding whether or not he believed her words "If you really want to settle the accounts with my uncle, I'll give you the map."

 

She stared at him blankly.

 

"Go ahead," he encouraged her. "I promise not to resist and I'll think about map and _just_ the map."

 

"Why would you do that?" She asked, suspecting "Why would you agree to betray your uncle?"

 

"I think you have the right to try to avenge the murder of your family. But I also think you'll end up joining them before you can make him sweat. Don’t underestimate him. Luke Skywalker may be old, but he is extremely powerful. Maybe more powerful than the two of us together."

 

"I will not underestimate him and you should not underestimate me either. I've been preparing my whole life to take his life. And if you think I'm going to trust you, just because..."

 

"You're right to mistrust, but, seek with your feelings. I'm being honest and..." he hesitated and she waited for him to continue. He took a deep breath. "I'm tired of pretending to be who I am not. To live surrounded by people who cannot look beyond my legacy and see who I really am. Take the map and then kill me. I'm sure it will make your Master happy. And, perhaps when I am one with the Force, I can finally do what I want and not what others expect of me."

 

Rey could prove the truth and sincerity of his words. So she did as he asked. And when their minds touched, the image of the map flooded her mind. But there were many more things around that memory. Many flashes of moments of solitude and uncertainty that attract Rey's attention.

 

This time, he let Rey wander through his memories without trying to stop her. He opened his mind to her, received her as if she were an old friend. Ben Solo showed Rey how he felt abandoned, even though he was surrounded by thousands of people who admired him. How lonely he felt, even though he had never been alone. How he longed to be loved and admired for who he was and not for the legacy of his family.

 

Their eyes were filled with tears as she withdrew gently from his mind.

 

"Thank you." She thanked him and smiled "Thank you for showing me that I'm not the only one who feels lonely."

 

"You’re welcome." He took a deep breath. "Now, finish your work. I'm ready to join the Force. I have a lot of questions to ask my grandfather."

 

"Oh no. I will not kill you. At least I will not kill you today."

 

"We made a deal!" he said in exasperation.

 

"No, you said you would give me the map and that I could kill you. But I didn’t say I would. I said?"

 

Ben tried in vain to get rid of the restrictions of the chair. "If you wanted some information about the Resistance, you should have taken it while you were on my mind, for I will not ease your entrance again." He said, his eyes browns glowing with anger.

 

She approached him and, without warning, kissed him. His lips were firm, warm, and soft against hers. Her hands settled on his muscular chest and slowly rose to his face. Ben kissed her back, hesitant at first, but then with enthusiasm.

 

Rey stepped back and looked him in the eye.

 

"Why did you do that?" He smiled and she smiled back.

 

"Now we're both even. You gave me what I wanted and I gave you what you wanted." Rey took her cloak. "I'll get rid of some guards who might stand in your way." she said as she replaced her cape "I'll make it easier and cover up your escape." She took the helmet "I hope your fame as a good pilot is deserved and that you are able to steal and fly a TIE fighter."

 

He gestured yes with his head. "Why are you helping me?"

 

"Because I have the impression that someday we'll meet again." She smiled and, with a gesture, opened the chair's restraints and he was free. "And Ben, you don’t have to be what others want you to be." Rey put her helmet in place and left the interrogation room.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading it!
> 
> Did you like it? Leave a comment. Leave kudos.
> 
> Say "Hello" to me on Tumblr and Twitter: @filhadoboto


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben manages to escape the First Order and Lady Kira reveals her plans to Snoke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the delay in updating! But being an adult sometimes requires that you dedicate less time to what makes you happy.

***** Ben Solo *****

 

Ben stood motionless where he was, staring at the door that had closed with Lady Kira's exit, and it took his brain a moment to finally realize that he was free. He stepped out of the chair and, pacing the interrogation room, tried to understand what had just happened. First, he had inadvertently entered her mind and seen her greatest fear. Then he had decided not only to open his heart as his mind to her and give her the information he had been willing to die to protect moments before. Then they had kissed. And, to top it off, she'd released him and was, at that very moment, making it easier for him to escape.

 

Nothing that had happened made any sense. And Ben knew full well that he must feel guilty for giving her the missing piece of the map that would lead directly to the place his uncle had chosen to exile after his students had been slaughtered and his temple destroyed by the First Order. Despite the risk his decision represented, he hoped his mother had sent someone to find his uncle and alert him. Luckily, Luke would be safe with the Resistance before the First Order could gather all parts of the map.

 

Ben took a deep breath and waited for regret and guilt to invade him. But there was no regret. And much less guilt. There was only the memory of her smile and the feel of her lips on his. There was only a feeling of happiness and lightness that he didn’t remember feeling before. And how could he expect to feel guilty for wanting to kiss her after seeing who she really was? How could he not be attracted to someone who was, contrary to what everyone imagined, including himself, a gentle girl who felt as lonely as he and understood perfectly how he felt?

 

Of course Lady Kira was famous for her abilities with the dark side of the Force and not for being gentle. And though he had never encountered her or fought her until their meeting in Jakku, he had heard about how she was lethal, powerful and ruthless. She was Snoke's favorite weapon and didn’t hesitate to kill those who got in the way of her master and the First Order. And after all he had heard about her, what he had least expected was that behind the mask of the Scarlet Death was a girl who was afraid of being alone, who longed to find her belonging... or that he would open his mind and, without thinking, his heart to her and revealing how difficult it was to live with the heavy legacy of his family. And he certainly would never have imagined that the two would end up kissing and that her smile would cause shivers on his skin and...

 

And had his uncle, who had fought so bravely to free the galaxy from the tyranny of the Empire, really been responsible for the death of Lady Kira's parents? Ben wasn’t blind and he was well aware that in war it is the innocent who suffer the most. And it isn’t always easy to distinguish between innocents and enemies in the heat of battle. He himself had already taken many people's lives so he could protect entire planets from destruction. The village in Jakku was a good example of what could happen when the Resistance and the First Order met and not always the innocent were unharmed.

 

Another thing Ben was fully aware of was that the war is an orphan maker, and the number of children who have lost their parents since the First Order arose was enormous. It wasn’t hard to imagine little Lady Kira having to take care of herself to survive on a backward planet like Jakku. It was incredible that, despite the things he saw in her mind, there was still some sort of kindness or compassion left in her. And he would certainly love to have met her under different circumstances. Circumstances where the two were free to choose their own paths ... _Kriff_! If they weren’t fighting on opposite sides, he wouldn’t mind continuing to kiss her forever! But things were as they were. The two fought in a war that had _lasted so long_ , that it was sometimes difficult to remember why, exactly, it had begun, and only one side would win. But to think of winning sides or winning this war was difficult when Ben could still feel the warmth of her hands on his chest and the feel of her lips on his. And her words _'You gave me what I wanted and I gave you what you wanted'_ still echoed in his mind.

 

"What do you think you're doing, Ben Solo?" He scolded himself "Are you out of your mind? It was just a kiss! A simple and innocent kiss and that means nothing! Nothing! You'll probably never see her again!"

 

Ben took several deep breaths to calm himself down and a few minutes passed until he finally managed to concentrate on the task before him: to escape. He would have to rely on his instincts, let the Force guide him out of that place, for he had only an idea of the direction in which the hangar was. He concentrated and, using the Force, opened the door easily. There was no tropper in sight. Carefully, Ben sneaked down the aisles of the ship toward the hangar. So far, he hadn’t even encountered a droid or a tropper in his path. She wasn’t only facilitating his escape. She was making sure there wouldn’t even be witnesses to his escape.

 

After a while, he began to feel Lady Kira through the Force and he seemed to be walking against her, as if she were telling him the way forward. When he finally arrived at the hangar, Ben smiled. There were a few troppers, droids, and officers walking through the hangar, but there was no guard around the fighters. Of course no one would bother putting guards alongside the fighters, certainly no prisoners had ever escaped their cells.

 

Sneaking around the corners carefully not to attract attention, Ben tried to get into a TIE fighter. He had already flown one of these fighters on a flight simulator, and if they were even as fast as they seemed, he would be safe from the First Order soon enough. This, of course, if they hadn’t exploded him with the ship's plasma cannons before.

 

He stared at the controls for a few seconds and breathed a sigh of relief when he realized they weren’t so different from the ones he had seen in the flight simulator. The TIE fighter came alive, but it was only when he took off and headed for the exit of the hangar that Ben heard alarms ringing. But it was too late to stop him, for he was already leaving the hangar door. His body tensed and he waited for them to start firing at him, but they didn’t fire. Minutes and minutes passed and no other TIE fighter or ship came out in his pursuit. Had she managed to do this, too?

 

His best chance was to go back to Jakku and send a request for help to the only person who would cross the galaxy to rescue him and never think about the consequences. His father, Han Solo. Using his personal emergency code he sent the message _'I was able to escape the First Order. I'm going back to Jakku and need rescue'_ and the coordinates of where he was.

 

Ben piloted his stolen TIE fighter with anxiety and attention. He landed in the blazing wilderness of Jakku and then waited to be rescued.

 

With nothing to do but wait, Ben found himself thinking of Lady Kira's farewell words, _‘You don’t have to be what others want you to be.’_ Yes, she was right. He could have chosen a way other than staying with his parents in the Resistance. Although they were proud and happy that he was fighting alongside them in the Resistance, they had never interfered in his choices. He could have followed the Jedi path and helped his uncle teach others to develop their skills with the Force. He could have pursued a career in politics just as his mother and grandmother did. Or he could have turned out to be a racing driver, as he had dreamed of being from childhood. But would he have been happy if he had chosen any of these alternatives? Would he feel less lonely if he had chosen another path? Had he chosen to be simply Ben and not the heir to his family's legacy?

 

Maybe, when the war was over, he might think of other alternatives. It would be fun to explore the outer rim, meet new planets, new beings and new languages. Maybe he could look for other Force users and help them. Or maybe, if he were lucky enough to survive, he could have his own family, live on a quiet and peaceful planet ... maybe she wanted to go with him. Maybe it was not too late for her and the two could end the loneliness of each other...

 

Ben frowned as he realized he was thinking of having a future with someone on the enemy side. Yes, Lady Kira had so much sadness and solitude within herself that it made him feel as if he were looking at himself. He had recognized himself in her. However, he had a war to win. And this war seemed far from its end.

 

The desert had grown very cold when the Millennium Falcon lights were finally visible in Jakku's night sky just above him, and he could feel the presence of his father and Chewie's in the Force. Only then did Ben feel all the tension and fear leaving his body. Finally he was safe. The ship's ramp came down and he was embraced by Chewie and his father. Chewie led him inside, wrapped him in a blanket, and made him sit down before his father began to question him. But before answering any question, Ben needed to know what had happened to his uncle.

 

"Your mother sent Poe to alert Luke about the First Order." Han informed. "The rest of the map was in R2's memory, and when Poe showed the fragment, we got Luke's location. Relax, kid. Luke has faced much worse things during the war against the Empire."

 

"I hope Poe can convince him of how dangerous the First Order is. I wish I could go along with him."

 

Han's face went dark. "Kid, Poe told us that you had allowed yourself to be captured by the First Order so he could safely escape with the map. What were you thinking about doing something like that? You could have died!"

 

Ben gave him a guilty smile. "I’m sorry, but It was necessary, Dad. In a minute we were seeing the projection of the map and then, from one moment to another, the whole village was surrounded by very well armed stormtroopers and I had to think fast. Poe wanted to stay and fight, of course, but one of us had to give time for the other to escape. And I almost got it, Dad. I got rid of some stormtroopers and was coming to my X-Wing when Lady Kira intercepted me."

 

"Snoke's apprentice?" Said Han and Chewie at the same time.

 

"That one." Ben said, and continued. "One moment I was running to my ship and the other I was suspended in the air, completely immobilized. I tried to fight, but she's much stronger than me. The stormtroopers searched my ship and destroyed it when they didn’t find the map. Then they searched me and when they found nothing, she approached me and made me lose consciousness. I woke up in the interrogation room of one of the ships and she was there, ready to take the map out of my mind."

 

"Did she hurt you?" Chewie asked, his voice filled with concern.

 

"No." _She was kind to me_ , Ben wanted to add.

 

"How did you escape?" Asked Han.

 

_That's the hard part to explain..._ Ben thought. Even relying on those two with his own life, Ben knew he couldn’t tell them what had really happened between Lady Kira and him in the interrogation room.

 

"Technically, I did nothing to escape but use the Force to open the cell door, sneak into the hangar and steal the TIE fighter." They both looked at him, confused. "I was interrogated by Lady Kira, and after she got what she wanted from me, she ... she sort of freed me and made my escape easier."

 

"Did she let you go?" Chewie asked in disbelief.

 

"Yes. She set me free and took the droids and the troppers out of my way."

 

"This is very strange, Ben. She is not famous for freeing prisoners. Never have any of them been seen alive or managed to escape. This woman has not earned the nickname of Scarlet Death for having compassion for the enemies of the First Order. "

 

"I know that, Dad. But that's what she did."

 

"There's something very wrong about this..."

 

"The important thing is that the boy is safe, Han. And not in the hands of the First Order." Said Chewie messing up Ben's hair. "Are you hungry, little one? I bet you have not eaten since you left for your mission."

 

Ben smiled and thanked the Force for Chewie to change the subject. Then he replied in Shyriiwook "Uncle Chewie, you always ask the most important questions. I am very hungry."

 

"Hey! I'm his father!"

 

Chewie and Ben laughed "So stop asking questions and try to feed your puppy! You can question him a little more after he eats and rests."

 

"I haven’t been a puppy for a long time, uncle Chewie." Ben protested.

 

"To me, you will always be a puppy, Ben. Even when you have your own puppies." Chewie gave Ben another hug. "I'm glad to have you back safe and sound." He said and stood up "Han, I think we'd better leave this planet before this Lady Kira regrets and wants to get our Ben back."

 

"You're right Chewie. Let's go." Han started walking toward Falcon's control cabinet." Rest, son. Your mother is anxious to see you."

 

The Falcon left the planet and soon after entered hyperspace. Ben would have enough time to sort out his thoughts before they arrived at D'Qar base. And as he ate, Lady Kira's voice filled his thoughts one more time _'You don’t have to be what others want you to be.'_

 

"Maybe you're right, Lady Kira." he whispered. "Maybe."

 

 

  
  
***** Lady Kira *****

 

After allowing the escape of Ben Solo and ensuring that no one would try to stop him or recapture him, Rey went to meet her master. He certainly expected her anxious for news of the interrogation and there were many things to be reported and important decisions to be made.

 

When the door of the chamber opened, Snoke's enormous holographic image received her. In front of him was General Hux, probably giving the latest reports on the status of the First Order fleet or talking about some technological advancement made by his team as they waited for her to arrive. Rey took off her helmet, there was no reason to hide her face there.

 

"Lady Kira." Hux greeted her.

 

"General Hux."

 

"Lady Kira, welcome," said Snoke, his huge projection above them both.

 

"Thank you, Master." She smiled. "I have great news. I managed to break our prisoner and I got the information. The last Jedi, finally, is within our reach. "

 

Snoke's deformed face twisted in a smile. "Well done, my young apprentice."

 

"Thank you, Master."

 

When they took Ben Solo aboard the Finalizer, Snoke ordered him to be interrogated and to do anything to get the information out of him. But Rey had asked to question him first. She was sure she could get the map faster. Hux intervened, claiming that the interrogation droids were perfectly capable of taking information from any prisoner, and Snoke was inclined to agree until Rey reminded them that it wasn’t so easy to break a Force user using interrogation droids and that they needed be quick if they wanted to get to Skywalker before Leia Organa. It was only then that Snoke had agreed to allow her to deal with the prisoner.

 

"I hope, one day, to know your interrogation tactics, Lady Kira," Hux said, glancing at her.

 

Rey looked at him and smiled maliciously. "Oh my dear general, I would have to kill you if I told you this."

 

"So, where did Skywalker choose to hide?" Snoke asked.

 

"On a very distant planet, called Ahch-To, where he found the first Jedi Temple."

 

Snoke smiled satisfied "General, prepare the fleet for an attack. I want Skywalker captured alive and then I want this planet completely obliterated."

 

"As you wish, Sup..."

 

"Master, I think we shouldn’t rush ourselves." Rey said, interrupting Hux. Snoke fixed his blue eyes on her and she continued. "I believe the map has already been delivered to the Resistance. And while I was quick to get the information, I'm sure Leia Organa is smart enough to have sent someone from her rebel scum to look for her brother. Time runs against us and the chance we don’t find him on this planet grows by the minute."

 

Beside her, Hux nodded. "Lady Kira is right, Supreme Leader."

 

Snoke pondered for a moment. "All right. Lady Kira, I want you to slowly torture Ben Solo in the crudest way and then send the hologram to the Resistance. Tell Leia Organa that she will have to give us her brother if she wants to have her son back."

 

"That will not be possible, Master." Rey said, looking into her Master's holographic eyes. "I freed Ben Solo and facilitated his escape. He should already be far from our reach right now."

 

Snoke's face filled with anger and he spoke with a forced calm. "You did what?"

 

Beside her, she could feel the fear of Hux through the Force. The General knew very well that it wasn’t a good idea to annoy Snoke. Rey continued, "But before that, I hid a tracker in his clothes during the interrogation. For my plan to work I needed him to trust me, lower his guard, and believe that I was actually making it easier for him to escape. Now that he is free, Ben Solo will return directly to his parents and soon we will know the location of the base of the Resistance. And certainly Leia Organa will spare no effort to reach her brother before us. If we are patient, we will crush the last Jedi and the Resistance with a single blow. Then there will be nothing between the First Order and the domain of the galaxy."

 

"You never cease to amaze me." said Hux, looking genuinely impressed.

 

Snoke smiled as he understood the implications of everything his apprentice had just said. "Very well, Lady Kira, very well. And General, send scouts to the location of Skywalker and put Captain Phasma in command of the squadron that goes to Ahch-To. If he's still on the planet, I want her to wait until somebody from the Resistance shows up. And if he leaves, I want to know all his footsteps. Let's follow Lady Kira's plan."

 

"So shall it be, Supreme Leader. I'll do that immediately." Hux said and left.

 

"In a short time you will have your revenge, my apprentice." Snoke said when they were alone.

 

"That's what I want most, Master."

 

"I'm curious about how you managed to make Ben Solo trust you."

 

Her face was filled with indifference as she said, "You always say that well-manipulated weakness can be a very useful weapon." Snoke nodded and she continued, "Men like Ben Solo never miss a chance to try to save who they think need to be saved. So I showed him some of the old Rey and the fool could not resist the temptation to want to save her. I used his weakness to get what I needed."

 

Snoke studied her for a while before speaking. "When I found you languishing on that miserable planet, I knew you would be great if you had someone to guide your steps in the right direction. And here you are, always exceeding my expectations, Lady Kira."

 

"Thank you, Master. I owe it all to your training."

 

"Just as I promised, you will have your revenge my apprentice. You will have Skywalker's life in your hands. And I will have the fate of the galaxy in mine."

 

"That will be so, Master."

 

"Let me know when you have the location of the Resistance." he said dismissively.

 

"Yes, Master." she said, and the hologram disappeared.

 

Rey went back to her quarters, pleased with herself. When Ben Solo not only got into her mind as he willingly opened his, she had felt an unexpected attraction to the intense light in him. For a few moments she had felt complete as she had never felt before, yet the darkness was swift to ward off this light and she was reminded why they were in that room.

 

Despite the _setbacks_ during the interrogation, Rey was happy to have turned the odds in her favor and would soon witness the demise of Luke Skywalker and the Resistance, and then the galaxy would surrender to the might of the First Order.

 

Though satisfied with the way things had evolved, Rey couldn’t deny that she was tired. She had been awake since before the attack on the village in Jakku and her body was asking for a shower, for food and for long hours of sleep, preferably without nightmares.

 

In the stillness of her quarters, Rey began to undress, and after getting rid of her helmet and cloak, she could smell Ben Solo on her clothes. Without thinking, she closed her eyes and pressed the clothes over her face. The memory of the kiss invaded her thoughts and she could feel the sensation of his lips. Although the kiss was only a distraction for Rey to hide the tracker in his clothes, she couldn’t deny that it had taken much longer than necessary and that... _kriff!_... she really liked having her body pressed against his and felt his muscles under her small hands… But despite any pleasant sensation she'd felt, Rey had kissed him just to distract him and it was nothing more than a means to an end. She was using Ben Solo to achieve her goals and it was likely that he would die without knowing that he was responsible for bringing the First Order to the Resistance.

 

As she felt the warm water touching her skin, the memory of Ben's smile made her heart beat faster and the memory of his eyes running through her body made her feel an unexpected heat spread inside her. Would she ever see those eyes again? Would she ever meet him again?

 

Rey shook her head vigorously, trying to push those thoughts away. "Ben Solo is your enemy, Rey! In a few hours you will be responsible for the destruction of the Resistance and you will have your revenge. Ben Solo means nothing to you. Absolutely nothing."

 

But the memories lingered in spite of her protests and she couldn’t help imagining having his arms wrapped around her body and feeling his lips exploring every inch of her skin... she couldn’t help but think of what it would be like to share her life with a man like Ben, how would it be to be with someone who knew how she felt and understood all her fears because he felt the same way. After a lifetime of loneliness, she had found someone whose inner self was the reflection of her own. Ben knew what it was like to be slowly eroded by loneliness and fear of never finding a belonging. The two of them had walked very different paths, but they carried the same scars. She wished she had the power to save his life. Spare him from the pain of losing his family and his friends. Spare him from his loneliness. She wanted to keep him safe and secure. But she didn’t have the power to do any of it.

 

Using the communicator of her quarters, Rey asked for food to be sent to her. After years of barely surviving in Jakku, she still marveled at the ease of getting food there. After devouring her meal, Rey got dressed, settled into bed and tried to focus on something other than Ben. But the minutes passed and all she could do was imagine him lying next to her.

 

She knew well how to think such thoughts could be dangerous, and if she couldn’t forget him, then she would have to hide her thoughts about him from her Master. Snoke believed that the feelings were dangerous and could cloud the judgment of even the strongest Force users and had explained to her how the great Galactic Empire had been destroyed. It was thanks to the love of Darth Vader for his son that Emperor Palpatine met his end and with him all his glorious Empire.

 

Her master would never tolerate the slightest shadow of this kind of weakness in his apprentice. So long ago she had created a place where her thoughts and feelings could be kept safe even from Snoke, a place surrounded by all the most painful memories she had accumulated throughout her life. They were memories of her lonely and miserable life in Jakku, her training with Snoke and, worst of all, the murder of her parents. It was there, in the midst of all that pain, that Rey kept everything that was related to Ben Solo, where she kept her own solitude and her greatest fears. She felt tears stream down her face as she recalled the murder of her parents.

 

_She was about five years old when it all happened. Her mother held her tightly in her arms. Her father held a blaster pointed at the door, ready to shoot any intruders who tried to enter through it. Outside the house, men, women, and children screamed in despair. The sound of explosions and blasters being fired came from all sides and moved closer and closer to where they were._

 

_Then the door had just flown out of its place and she could see a man holding a green light saber in his right hand. The greenish light reflected on his face showed a look full of murderous rage. Her father shot the intruder, but he deflected the shot with the saber. The man raised his left hand, and her father was paralyzed and suspended in the air. The man walked over to her father and then crossed his chest with his saber. Her father's body fell to the floor inert. The man looked at his lifeless body and smiled, pleased._

 

_Rey and her mother screamed in despair and the man looked at them and walked slowly toward them, spinning the saber in his hand. The two had no way to escape, for the man was between them and the only way out. Her mother then placed her body between her and her father's killer while begging him to have compassion and not hurt them. And Rey watched helplessly as the man raised his hand again and her mother hung in the air. The woman gasped for air, her hands desperately trying to free her from the invisible grip on her throat. And as the man's hand closed, the more her mother tried to get rid of the tightness in her throat and the more she struggled to breathe. Her mother's face was red, her eyes filled with blood, when her still body was thrown at Rey's feet._

 

_Her parents’ killer then focused all of his attention on her. Suddenly she felt her body being lifted into the air and hit the wall with violence. When she woke up, she was alone in the blistering desert of Jakku._

 

She was about thirteen years old when Snoke found her in Jakku fighting for her life, literally. Three other scavengers were trying to steal what she had taken days of hard work to get. She had overthrown the first scavenger with her staff and he was unconscious in her AT-AT. The second was trying to get up, but after she had dislocated his knee, he couldn’t go anywhere by himself. However, the third knew how to defend himself and was almost three times her size. He had disarmed her and threw her against their speeder. Rey gasped for air as she felt the man's huge hands wrap around her neck. _'I'm going to destroy you, you desert rat._ ' he'd said. In desperation, she had been trying to get rid of his grip. For an instant she had closed her eyes, trying to think of how to get rid of the tightness in her throat, and when she opened them, she knew exactly what to do. She focused her gaze on the man's face, clenched her fist as hard as she could, and the man fell, dead, his neck broken. When the second scavenger fired a blaster toward her, she killed him as well.

 

Rey was lying in the sand, trying to catch her breath when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching her. Alarmed, she got up in time to see that a humanoid being walked with slow, heavy steps over the sand toward her, as if each step caused him pain. He was closely followed by guards dressed in red armor and lethal-looking weapons in their hands. Rey watched him fearfully and ready to defend herself as he approached her. _‘You're a survivor, little Rey. You don’t have to be afraid of me.’_ he said and reached out for her _'Come with me. Let me get you out of this place and help you reach your true potential.’_ For years she had wished to leave, for years she had thought of how she could escape from that life. She had looked at her AT-AT and thought that her fate beside the strange being couldn’t be worse than languishing alone in that desert. Determined not to miss another day there on that planet, she had accepted the hand he had stretched out and together they walked through the sands of the desert to the waiting ship. Before embarking, the humanoid had somehow burned down the AT-AT where she had lived and said, _'It's time to leave your past behind, little Rey.'_

 

On board the ship, the humanoid had told her who he was and explained to her how she had been able to kill the two scavengers. Snoke had revealed to her that she was a strong user of something called the 'Force' and that it had been her power to guide him here and the first thing she did was think of using those powers to avenge her parents' murder. He had told her about other Force users who had accomplished great deeds after opening up to the dark side of the Force and how he had sought out someone with as much potential as she did to help him conquer the galaxy. And when he had offered her the chance to do great deeds beside him by asking if she wanted him to teach her how to use the dark side of the Force, she'd asked Snoke if he could teach her how to find people who used the Force, because she had business to do with one of them. Snoke had been curious, and as he looked into her memories, he had smiled when he saw the face of her parents’ killer. _'Well, well. It looks like we want to destroy the same person, young Rey. The man who killed your parents is the Jedi Master Luke Skywalker.’ _/ Even living on a planet like Jakku, Rey had heard the legend of Luke Skywalker. But in the legends, he helped people instead of killing them. _'Help me to kill Luke Skywalker and I'll do anything for the galaxy to stay at your feet, master.'_ Snoke smiled _'With all your power, Luke Skywalker will not have a chance.'___

 

That day Rey left her old life behind and became Snoke's apprentice. For years she had trained and developed her skills using the dark side of the Force, and whenever she failed at some task, she forced herself to think about her parents' death. It was the memory of how the Jedi master had slaughtered her family that helped her maintain focus and it was her hatred for him that fueled her power. She had chosen revenge over anything and it was this desire to get revenge that had helped her to leave the orphaned Rey of Jakku behind and become Lady Kira.

 

During her training, Snoke had told her how the Jedi Order had betrayed the Old Republic and that it was the last Jedi Luke Skywalker who had caused the destruction of the Empire. And that, although the First Order had risen from the ashes of the Empire, it wasn’t its purpose to restore the Empire, but to replace previous regimes, free from its flaws. But for this to happen, it was necessary to crush the Resistance led by Leia Organa once and for all.

 

_If my plan runs as expected, in a short time it will happen._ Rey thought before falling asleep. _Thanks to Ben Solo we will destroy the last Jedi and the Resistance. And then nothing will stand in our way._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have already planned the next 8 chapters and I already have the final scene. This will make it easier to write and I can update this story at smaller intervals.
> 
> Thank you for not giving up. ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Without knowing, Ben shows the location of the Resistance’s base to the First Order and Lady Kira goes to Ahch-To.

*****Lady Kira*****

 

Rey had fallen asleep and with the unconsciousness came the nightmares.

 

This time, instead of watching the murder of her parents or wandering aimlessly through the Jakku desert as usual, she was in the throne room aboard the Supremacy, with Ben Solo kneeling and motionless in front of her, his pleading brown eyes fixed on hers, and Snoke sitting on his throne watching them both with a satisfied smile on his deformed face. Her lightsaber was in her hand and when Snoke gave the order, she held it out in the direction of Ben's chest, and a second before the saber came to life, she had awakened in a startled and frightened way, hoping to find Ben's lifeless body before her. But she'd only found the darkness that flooded her quarters, and then she'd breathed deeply until she'd calmed down as she told herself it was just a nightmare. She had been slow to go back to sleep, and after what seemed a few minutes of restless, dreamless sleep, BB-9E woke her up.

 

She grunted in protest, stretched herself and sat down, feeling her body as tired as before she fell asleep. The droid let out a few beeps and reminded her of her appointment, making it clear that if she didn’t hurry she'd be late. Rey thanked the droid and asked for a summary of what had happened while she slept. The droid, also programmed to gather information from the First Order's servers, told her that there was as yet no news about the location of the Resistance base or Luke Skywalker. She dressed hastily, put on her helmet, took the lightsaber and left her chambers for the training room, where her training partner waited patiently.

 

Her partner was called FN-2187 when Rey first met him, but over time it had seemed wrong to call him that, as if he were not a person but some expendable equipment. He had explained to her that this was the only identification given to the troopers and that he didn’t remember ever being called by any other name. She then asked him if she could call him 'Sam'. He had smiled and nodded and since then that's how she called him.

 

Sam had been the first person she had allowed herself to trust beyond her Master. Although Rey knew how to defend himself, Sam tried to protect her from everything and it was him who gave her the trooper helmet she wore. When she lived in Jakku, she used to collect objects related to the battle that had taken place there, and her favorite object was a Rebel Alliance pilot's helmet she had recovered from a fallen fighter. Some time after telling Sam, the trooper had presented her with the red helmet that had belonged to some trooper of the Empire era. Rey had started wearing the helmet in her first battle alongside the troopers and winning her 'Scarlet Death' fame.

 

Over the years, Sam had been a brother to her, but Rey had never been able to shake off the feeling of extreme loneliness that had eroded her or made her feel that she would never find her belonging or would be important to anyone else. Even _wishing_ to have a deeper connection with another person, she feared the moment when Sam would also be taken away from her. After all, as a stormtrooper, he could die at any moment in battle and she could lose the only important person in her life besides Snoke. Of course there was another person in the galaxy who understood perfectly how she felt, but she couldn’t... she _should_ not think... after all, there was no hope... Ben Solo and she could _never_ be together.

 

"Sorry for the delay, Sam." she said as she entered the training room. She took off her helmet and began chewing hastily a protein bar.

 

"All right, Rey." He smiled and looked at what she ate with reproach.

 

Rey smiled. "If BB-9E hadn’t woken me up I wouldn’t be here. I didn’t have time to have a real meal."

 

Sam sighed, giving up and opened a panel on the wall revealing a large number and types of combat weapons. "With which weapon do you want to train today?"

 

When she lived in Jakku, Rey had learned to fight with a staff and it was with it that she defended herself. When it came time to build her lightsaber, she eventually chose to build one with a double beam, which she could dismember and use as two independent sabers or unite the two and handle it like a staff.

 

She pulled the lightsaber from her waist, split it in two, and threw one of them at him. "Something tells me I'm going to need to use this soon."

 

Sam had trained with her almost from the beginning of her training when she became Snoke's pupil. Her friend had always been much bigger and heavier than her and it had helped her learn how to use her opponent's size against him. Together, they had learned the seven forms of fighting with lightsabers and began training through the basic forms of each, and then began to merge movements.

 

At some point in the training, Sam stood on one knee to deflect one of her blows and the memory of the nightmare she had had with Ben infiltrated her thoughts. At any moment she could receive the news that Ben... that her _enemy_ was destroyed along with the Resistance... or worse, at any moment she could _feel_ his signature in the Force fading, becoming extinct, ceasing to exist... and then there would be nothing left of him besides the memory of a kiss saved between painful memories...

 

The saber handled by Sam almost touched the skin of her arm and she drew back, alarmed.

 

"Are you alright? I've never seen you so distracted."

 

"I had a nightmare and couldn’t sleep properly. But I'll be fine."

 

He stared at her suspiciously. "Are you sure?"

 

She gave him a tired smile. "I'm closer than ever to getting my revenge."

 

Sam's face went serious. "Did you find Skywalker?"

 

"Yes."

 

He studied her for a few seconds. "But that's _not_ all that is occupying your thoughts."

 

She sighed. "No, that's not all. And, I'd rather not talk about it right now."

 

He stared at her for a moment, as if deciding whether or not it would be worth it to presses her for more details. "As you wish." he said and assumed a position of attack. "But you better focus on training, because I will not take it lightly on you."

 

She nodded, took a deep breath and he attacked her.

 

Sam was a _great_ training partner. In a few minutes he had almost disarmed her twice, and she needed all her concentration and agility to withstand her vigorous onslaughts. Rey remained on the defensive long enough to see the speed of Sam's blows diminishing and, with a blow he couldn’t foresee, threw him to the ground. Sam looked at her with a mixture of pride and surprise in his eyes, and then they both laughed. Rey reached out to help him up, still laughing.

 

The amusement ended when they noticed the figure of General Hux all dressed in black watching them intently at the door of the room. Sam seemed petrified at the sight of the other man, but she never felt intimidated by the General's figure.

 

"Any news?" Asked Rey as she caught her breath.

 

Hux walked up to the two, his face serious. "Yes, Lady Kira. I have news about the location of the Resistance’s base."

 

" _Finally!_ " she said and turned to Sam, her face already with no sign of the smile that had been there before. Snoke didn’t encourage her to bond, so she and Sam kept their friendship just between the two "FN-2187, you're dismissed for now."

 

"At your service, Lady Kira. General." Sam handed her back the saber and left the training room.

 

Hux followed him with his eyes until Sam was out of sight. "You two look _very intimate_ , Kira."

 

Rey joined the sabers, put it on her waist and looked at him, "Do we?"

 

"Yes. I have watched both of you and I can say with certainty that Supreme Leader Snoke wouldn’t like to know that his apprentice is getting involved with a... "

 

"Are you _jealous_ of a simple trooper, General?" She interrupted, staring at him.

 

Hux's face turned red and Rey felt his discomfort through the Force.

 

"I... I... How can you insinuate that I _could_... I _never_..." he stammered indignantly "I'm not _jealous_!" He averted his eyes from hers when he saw the faint smile on her face, as if embarrassed that she had sensed his feelings.

 

The General was a restrained man who tried to suppress and conceal any kind of feeling that might affect his judgment or the performance of his functions in the First Order. Hux could even deny it and try to hide it, but Rey could feel like the General was unsettled when she was around, and sometimes she even enjoyed seeing him trying to disguise his jealousy.

 

"You know, General, it's not easy to find someone who can make me sweat during a training." She said and took some water. "FN-2187 is very clever and the kind of person who always has a trick up his sleeve and adapts easily to any situation. I always have to find new ways to defeat him before he defeats me. By training with him I learned that no matter how strong or how skillful I am, none of that will make a difference if I _underestimate_ my opponent. Captain Phasma herself agrees with me and thinks he has the potential to become the Order's best stormtrooper. Wouldn’t you keep someone with such potential nearby?"

 

Hux nodded, his face back to its normal color. She smiled and took some more water. "So where is the Resistance?"

 

"If you don’t mind, I'd rather speak when we meet with the Supreme Leader."

 

She nodded, "As you wish, General. I'll join you in a few minutes."

 

Anxiety raced through her body as Rey walked hastily through the Finalizer's corridors on the way to the bridge. She had taken a quick shower and dressed even faster, her thoughts focused only on hearing the news. When she reached her destination she found General Hux already ready to begin the conference with the Supreme Leader. Seeing her, he pressed a button, and seconds later, the holographic image of Snoke appeared before them.

 

"So where's the Resistance?" Snoke asked, looking as anxious as his apprentice.

 

"Supreme Leader, we located the signal from the tracker in D'Qar on the Illinium system."

 

Snoke was silent for a few seconds, pondering the information he had just heard. "General, send Captain Canady to deal with it. I want that base destroyed." he finally ordered. "No one should survive."

 

Hux smiled, pleased with the orders he had received. "The time has finally come to rid the galaxy of that _rebel scum_."

 

"What about Skywalker?" Snoke asked.

 

"Captain Phasma reported that her team scanned the surface of the planet and detected a ship on an island inhabited by various forms of life. And no ship left or arrived on the planet since they got there. They continue to watch over the planet, but we believe that Luke Skywalker may still be in Ahch-To."

 

"Then Skywalker refused to flee." Snoke gave a satisfied chuckle.

 

"That's what we believe, Supreme Leader." said Hux.

 

"If Skywalker hasn’t reunited with his family, we will have to change our plan of attack. In that case, you must go to Ahch-To immediately, Lady Kira, and deal with him personally and as you please."

 

Rey felt the adrenaline rush through her body at the sound of Snoke's words. Not only was it time for her revenge as she had been given permission to finish Skywalker the way she wished. And she had many long and painful ways in mind. "It will be my pleasure, master."

 

Snoke nodded and the hologram disappeared.

 

Hux asked her what she needed for her mission and hurried to have everything ready for her departure. Skywalker's capture was now her only priority.

 

 

 

*****Ben Solo*****

 

General Leia Organa Solo was waiting for him outside the base in D'Qar with Threepio faithfully at her side. His mother's weary face lit up at the sight of him.

 

"Ben!" She said, wrapping him in her arms.

 

He hugged her tightly and placed a kiss on her hair. "Mom."

 

Leia took her son's face in her hands and looked at him. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you? How did you escape? "

 

"I'm fine, Mom."

 

"Are you sure? Did they hurt you? You're hurt?"

 

"Leia, you're suffocating the kid!" Han said. "Let him breathe."

 

Leia cast a hard look at her husband and he hugged her "He's okay Leia. I swear. He just needs to rest."

 

"Welcome, master Ben. It's so good to see you safe and sound. "

 

"Thank you Threepio. It is good to be back." Around him people paced back and forth carrying equipment or aided the maintenance of the fighters, and some of them greeted them as they walked into the base. "Have you been able to find uncle Luke? Is he here already?"

 

"Poe must have arrived at Luke's location by now. We are waiting for news anytime." Said Leia.

 

Worry and guilt overtook Ben. If he hadn’t given in, the Resistance would have more time to find the old Jedi "Dad, you and uncle Chewie should have gone instead of Poe. Old friends would have been more likely to persuade uncle Luke to leave his exile."

 

Han shook his head, denying "Not with my kid in danger and needing my help."

 

"I have faith in Poe." said Leia. "He will be able to bring your uncle back, even if he has to bind him and bring him against his will."

 

"Now that I'm here, we can go to him..."

 

"Ben, your mother is right. We need to give Poe some time." said Chewie. "He can be more stubborn than Luke."

 

"I'm afraid they don’t have that much time. The First Order must already be on its way."

 

"Poe will tell us if he cannot convince Luke. In that case, you can go to them too."

 

Seeing that him was a defeated vote, Ben just nodded.

 

Inside the base, Ben waited for an opportunity to talk to Leia alone. There were things that only another Force user would understand. A long time ago, his family had learned that having secrets would bring no good to them and so Ben told her about everything that had happened in the interrogation room. By the way, almost everything. He kept some details to himself, such as the kiss and how much he felt suffocated by his family's legacy. His mother listened intently and without interrupting him.

 

"I'm sorry I let her see the map."

 

"She would have done anything to get the map out of your mind. And if you hadn’t cooperated, you could be dead. And I'd rather have you safe and sound by my side than to win this war and have to grieve over your death."

 

"I could have resisted for much longer..."

 

"I know how you feel, my dear." He started to protest and she continued "I watched the destruction of my planet and all my people to protect the location of the Rebel Alliance. I know what it's like to make a choice and have to live with the consequences."

 

"But mom, I _chose to show_ her the map! I chose to do this because I thought that uncle Luke would be safe by the time the Order came to him, and also..." He paused before telling her why Lady Kira hated his uncle so much. "She told me it was uncle Luke who killed her parents and then left her in Jakku."

 

Leia's face showed a bit of confusion and then became serious. "Ben, I'm sure your uncle would never be able to do something like that."

 

He nodded. "She hates him so much, mother. She's been looking for revenge all her life, and when she interrogated me, I could see into her mind. I don’t know _how_ it happened, but I... I could see everything she went through when she was abandoned and feel all the hatred she feels for uncle Luke." Ben took a deep breath and continued. "But there was something more hidden among all that hatred... I _saw_ that behind that mask she is just a scared girl who is afraid of being alone, of being abandoned again." He smiled "I really hope she realizes that she is wrong, give up this meaningless revenge and get rid of all the hatred she feels and can start a new life far from Snoke."

 

"You were really impressed by this woman." Leia stared at him with a strange look on her face.

 

He felt his cheeks warm "Why are you looking at me like that?"

 

"In what way, dear?"

 

"In that _strange_ way you're looking at me, mom."

 

She smiled the smile that was just his "Oh, my dear! You've always been so generous, you've always cared so much about others." She stroked his face. "I'm very proud of the man you've become, Ben. And I'm glad you came back safe and sound to us."

 

"Thank you, mom."

 

"Now go rest and try not to worry about anything else. I'll let you know the moment we hear from your uncle."

 

He didn’t argue. His body was starting to show signs of extreme tiredness and sleeping a few hours would do him a lot of good. Alone in his quarters, Ben began undressing and then a small object fell to the floor. The object was small and a flashing red light glowed inside. It took him a few seconds to figure out what it was, from where it had fallen, and what it meant.

 

He remembered Lady Kira's hands roaming his chest as she kissed him and his miraculous escape. "I don’t believe that treacherous snake..." He looked at the little tracker in his hand. "That's why she _facilitated_ my escape. She wanted me to go back to the base and show the way to the Resistance." Ben took a deep breath. "How could I have been so naive?"

 

Without missing another second, Ben took the jacket he had just discarded and the little tracker and ran out the halls to find his mother again.

 

"Mom. We need to evacuate the base right away." he said. Before his mother made any protest, he reached out and opened his hand, exposing the small object in his palm. She looked at the object and then at him and they both stared at each other for a few seconds as she absorbed the gravity of the situation they were experiencing.

 

"Attention, everyone! We have to evacuate the base as soon as possible." Leia told her subordinates, that faced the two with apprehensive faces. Seconds later, the base alarms began to ring, and everyone began to run from one side to the other, spreading the evacuation orders.

 

Han and Chewie found them minutes later. "What happened? Are we under attack?"

 

"Not yet." said Leia. "But we can be attacked at any moment."

 

"Impossible, nobody knows where we are."

 

"Now they know." Ben said and showed them the tracker. "The First Order is on the way." Ben explained to them quickly how he had found the tracker on his clothes and that he thought this was why he had so easily escaped the First Order. Time was running out and they were about to get stuck. Everyone needed to leave that base as soon as possible.

 

Leia left screaming at the top of her lungs for everyone to go to the transports as he rushed to help evacuate the equipment outside the base. Although they had firepower to counterattack, they knew the cost in lives would be immense.

 

Outside, Connix shouted for the pilots to hurry and Ben breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that almost all the transports were already full and leaving the planet.

 

"Connix!" he said as he approached the girl "You have to board a transport now. We're out of time."

 

"What about you?"

 

"Don’t worry, I'll go with my parents on the Falcon."

 

"We'll meet at the new base." She said and tried to get into one of the last transports scattered outside the base.

 

Ben walked to the edge of the forest, took the tracker out of his pocket and threw it as far as he could. It would do no good to destroy the device now that the First Order had their location, but it could lead them to think that at least he was still at the base about to be attacked.

 

Chewie, Han, Threepio and Artoo were already on board, but Leia wouldn’t be safe while the last of them didn’t embark on a transport. Ben waited patiently beside his mother until the last transport left the surface of the planet. Only then, she allowed her son to take her to the Falcon.

 

The only thing Ben could think of while helping his mother settle down was that when he met Lady Kira one more time, he would teach her a lesson. How had he been so foolish as to believe that someone like her could do something good without having some nasty motive behind it? How could he have thought that the Scarlet Death would stop thinking about her revenge to help him? How could he have been so naive? If he had stopped thinking about kissing and imagining impossible futures and stopped to think about _why_ she had been so kind, he would have at least suspected that it might all be a trap. And now, because of his extreme foolishness, a good part of the Resistance was in mortal danger.

 

The soft touch of his mother's hands on his shoulders lifted him from his reverie, and from the look on her face she seemed to have been trying to get his attention for some time.

 

"I'm sorry, Mom. Did you say something?"

 

"Don’t be so hard on yourself, Ben." she said. "I feel that the Force around you is filled with anger and fear and regret. I haven’t felt the darkness so strong around you for a long time." He averted his eyes from his mother, ashamed. Leia smiled and put her hand gently on her son's face. "Do you want to talk about it?"

 

Ben sighed "This is all my fault, Mom. I was a fool. I believed her..." He looked her in the eye. "I didn’t tell you everything that happened. After I let her see the map... " He took a deep breath and mustered the courage to speak. "After I let her see the map, she kissed me and _then_ helped me escape." He looked at his mother and there was a mixture of understanding and surprise in her face. "If I had stopped to think about why she was helping me instead of dreaming about the _remote_ possibility that I would be able..." he hesitated and looked at his hands. The thought just seemed foolish now.

 

"Would you be able to bring her back to the light?" Her mother asked in a gentle tone.

 

Ben nodded slowly "I know I'm a fool to think that someone like her could embrace the light..."

 

"No, Ben. You are _not_ a fool. Having hope and compassion doesn’t make you a fool. If your grandfather was able to be redeemed, then this girl could be too. Maybe she just needs someone who has hope, doesn’t give up on her, and lights her way back." She smiled. "We, the Skywalkers, have the habit of always trying to rescue our loved ones who have surrendered to the dark side. You're half Solo, but your Skywalker half will never give up saving this girl. Your grandmother Padmé never gave up on your grandfather and your uncle Luke risked his own life so that our father would be redeemed. Believing that the people we love can be saved is not a weakness, Ben. This is our _greatest strength_."

 

Leia laid a soft kiss on his forehead and left him alone with his thoughts.

 

 

 

*****Lady Kira*****

 

The immense holographic image of Supreme Leader Snoke appeared before Hux and Rey in the audience chamber. As usual, he was sitting on his throne that was aboard the Supremacy.

 

"The Resistance managed to escape before the arrival of Captain Canady." Hux announced, his voice steady and calm, but Rey could feel his nervousness.

 

"The resistance. Escaped? "Snoke repeated, his face even more deformed by anger.

 

"I'm sorry Supreme Leader. When Captain Canady arrived on the planet, the base had already been evacuated, so he destroyed it." Snoke just stared at him. "But there are signs that Ben Solo was destroyed along with the base."

 

Rey felt as if an icy hand pressed against her heart. "What makes you think so, General?"

 

"I was informed that the signal from the tracker hadn’t left the planet when they destroyed everything."

 

"It only proves that the tracker was on the planet. Maybe Ben Solo found the tracker in time for a full evacuation."

 

Hux nodded "That rebel scum uses the bases that the Rebel Alliance used when they fought against the Empire." He said "We can send scouts to each..."

 

"No." Snoke said, interrupting him. "We will not waste our resources that way. They will not be hidden forever."

 

They were silent as Snoke pondered his next orders. He fixed his eyes on his apprentice. "Lady Kira, you know what to do next."

 

"Yes Master. Everything is already ready for my departure."

 

Snoke nodded and the hologram disappeared.

 

As she walked through the Finalizer's aisles on the way to the hangar, Rey pondered the news. The Resistance’s escape could only mean that Ben had found the tracker she had put on his jacket and that it had given them enough time to evacuate the base and probably find a safe place to hide and regroup. But... he wouldn’t be foolish to stay at the base knowing what was on the way, would he?

 

A part of her, bigger than she'd like to admit, hoped he was still alive.

 

**\---**

 

Rey didn’t know exactly what she had expected from the place where the first Jedi Temple was and where Skywalker exiled himself, but she certainly hadn’t expected the place to be a small rocky island inhabited by curious and noisy winged animals and to the care of strangely ill-tempered beings. Another thing she hadn’t expected was that there the Force would manifest itself with greater intensity, with its two aspects in balance between themselves.

 

The stormtroopers commanded by Captain Phasma had searched every corner of that island and the smaller islands scattered around and hadn’t found the old Jedi anywhere. The ship the sensors had detected was an old X-wing that was decomposing at the bottom of the sea and the only thing she found of Skywalker was some personal items in one of the stone huts that stood on a slope of the island.

 

She had questioned the strange beings who tended the preservation of the Jedi buildings, and their leader told her reluctantly that they only took care of the place and the visitors who came. When she asked for Luke, the leader told her that he had left the planet with another younger human for almost a day and that she didn’t ask who they were, where they came from, or where they would go after. This meant that the Resistance had managed to reach Luke before the Order sent its scouts, and whoever came to the planet had been able to leave it without being detected by the ships guarding the planet.

 

Rey had never felt so frustrated in her life. The Resistance had managed to escape and Luke Skywalker as well. She took a deep breath and ordered the stormtroopers to release the natives from the island and stay on standby.

 

Hoping to find something that might help her find Luke, she herself had walked the island, up the steps that led to the highest peak, where she found a mosaic that represented the balance between darkness and light. She watched the mosaic for a few moments and then she noticed something touching her consciousness, demanding her attention. Rey closed her eyes, concentrated and could feel that it was something very dark and powerful and, without thinking, went down the stairs.

 

The dark side called her insistently as she walked the island. It had something to show her, so, following its call, she walked up a cliff that led to a hole. She crouched down on the edge of the hole, but it was too dark for her to see what was down there. Taking courage, Rey jumped up and, instead of finding solid ground, her body went against the water of a natural pool.

 

She felt her body fill with panic as the weight of her wet clothing began to pull her down, but when she managed to reach the surface, she felt herself relax. She left the pool, already feeling cold. The island itself was cold, but here the cold seemed even more intense.

 

When her eyes became accustomed to the dimness of the cave, she could see that the wall in front of her reflected her image, the water of the sea had left the stone smooth and polished like a mirror. Looking at her reflected image, the Scarlet Death didn’t look so threatening with wet clothing and her arms wrapped around her body for warmth. She approached the polished wall. Whatever the dark side wanted to show her, she was eager to see. She stared at the mirror and waited for something to happen, but only her reflection looked back at her. She sighed before asking, "What do you want to show me?"

 

She stared at her reflection and seconds later she realized that it had begun to change. Her red cloak now looked like a poncho and was a dark gray shade. Her reflection then moved, though she remained motionless, and Rey looked back and saw that she was still alone. When she looked back into the mirror, the reflection shifted again and it gave a shy wave of its hand to her.

 

"Who are you?" She asked, her voice trembling from the cold.

 

"I am your future." replied the reflection in the mirror in Rey's voice.

 

Then, to her horror, the reflection brought its hands up to the helmet, took it out and revealed that beneath it was Luke Skywalker's face, just as she remembered seeing it the night of her parents' murder. They looked at each other for what seemed like a lifetime, then the reflection smiled, moved its hand to the light saber on its waist and unexpectedly pierced its own chest with the bright green light beam.

 

Rey stepped back from the mirror and automatically moved her hands to the spot where the reflection crossed with the saber, her eyes startled in search of the wound, but there was nothing to see or feel. She took off her helmet and, panting, looked at the reflection. And it was no longer Luke's face that was staring back at her. It was Ben Solo's. He looked at her, his face in a mask of pain and fear and betrayal, his hands soaked with the blood that flowed from his wound. His bloody lips moved and began to repeat the same question over and over again. " _Why?_ "

 

She stepped toward the mirror without thinking, and when her trembling hands touched its cold surface, Ben disappeared and Rey found herself staring only at her own reflection in despair.

 

Shaken by the sight, she collapsed on the floor in front of the mirror, folding her body into a fetal position. Unwanted tears rolled down her face and she could think of nothing but Ben dying because of her actions.

 

Minutes passed until Rey managed to stop crying and felt stable enough to walk. Her body still trembled slightly, but she had to leave that damn island immediately. With difficulty, she managed to get out of the cave and return to her command ship. She gave orders for everyone to withdraw from the planet and return to the Finalizer.

 

She hoped she would never have to set foot on that planet again.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After leaving his family safely at the new base, Ben goes to Takodana to meet Maz and ends up meeting who he didn’t expect to meet. Luke and Poe arrive safely at the base of the Resistance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me a while to find the right tone for this chapter. I have lost count of how many times I have rewritten it over the past few months until I was satisfied with the result. I hope you enjoy it and that make it worth all the time you've waited for the update.

 

***** Ben Solo *****

 

Ben spent the whole trip to the new base with his mind occupied with his mother's words. He knew his uncle had risked his own life so that his grandfather would turn to the light once more. But could he do the same thing his uncle did? How far would he be able to get because of her? What could he do to help her out of the dark side? What kind of sacrifice would he be willing to make so she could be freed from Snoke's clutches? He had no idea. He knew only what he would _not_ do. He knew the limit would always be the safety of his family.

 

His introspection was interrupted when the Falcon gave a beep warning that they had reached their destination. There in that place the old Rebel Alliance had gathered and fought against the Galactic Empire. The base at Yawin 4 was surrounded by a lush forest, and as the ship approached the surface of the planet, it was possible to see that the forest and the base were surrounded by mist and only the crown of the tallest trees and the top of the pyramid-shaped facilities of the base could be seen.

 

They weren’t the first to arrive. Other members of the Resistance who were on the outer rim were warned of the emergency evacuation of the base at D'Qar and had proceeded there. The relief was on the faces that watched the arrival of the transports, for very little, _very little_ , they didn’t lose their friends, comrades and relatives.

 

Leia wasted no time as she disembarked from the Falcon and, with Threepio as her second shadow, walked out into the fog and began giving orders and listening to reports as she greeted the people she met on her way, while his father and Chewie began to check equipment and make minor repairs on the ship. That old freighter had a lot of story to tell and Ben himself had always suspected that it was there that his parents had conceived him.

 

Some time later, when Ben joined his mother in the command room, she had great news to tell him.

 

"We received a transmission from Poe." Announced his mother with relief in her voice "They managed to get off the planet before the arrival of the First Order."

 

"And when will they get here?" Ben asked anxiously.

 

"It's still going to take a while, but the important thing is they're in a safe place." she said. "We've already sent our new location to them and the two will join us as soon as possible."

 

Ben felt as if the weight of the galaxy itself had been lifted from his shoulders. Now that he knew the two of them were safe, he could try to solve another question. Days before going to Jakku with Poe on the mission to retrieve the last fragment of the map, he had received a message from Maz Kanata, an old friend of his parents, asking him to go to Takodana, as she had something very important to give him. She had been expecting him for days, and he had planned to go to her before going on his mission in Jakku, but things didn’t go as planned.

 

An orange stain caught his attention in the back of the command room and he found Rose Tico working hard on some of the old base equipment, trying to get them to work properly.

 

"Hey, Rose." he called. The girl looked at him and her face was filled with surprise and then she gave him a big smile.

 

"Ben!" She wrapped her small arms around his waist and he placed a kiss on her hair. "How good to see you! I knew you had been captured by the First Order in Jakku."

 

"I was a guest in their interrogation room, but I managed to escape."

 

"I'm glad you came back to us."

 

"Thank you, Rose. And how is Paige?"

 

Rose rolled her eyes and replied, "Worried about Poe. _As always_."

 

Ben smiled. Paige Tico and Poe Dameron had a relationship that neither of them knew exactly what to name. Ben thought they were afraid of losing each other if they named their relationship.

 

"Tell her Poe is okay. In a short time he will be here with uncle Luke. "

 

"It's good to hear that." Paige said as she approached the two. She handed some tools to her sister and hugged her friend. "It's good to see you safe and sound, Ben."

 

"Hello, Paige." He returned the hug. "He sent a message that he was safe and well. Soon you will be able to see him with your own eyes and make him pay for leaving you worried."

 

"You can be sure that I'm going to make him pay for every second of worry." she assured him.

 

"I cannot believe I'm going to meet Luke Skywalker in person!" Rose said as she loosened the bolts of an old console "We grew up listening to the stories of his adventures."

 

Ben smiled at the girl's enthusiasm. This was usually the reaction of the people when his uncle's name was quoted. Everyone wanted to meet the legendary Luke Skywalker and hear him tell his adventures from the time of the war against the Galactic Empire and what it was like to be a Jedi.

 

After a few more minutes of conversation with the Tico sisters, Ben apologized and tried to rest. He couldn’t even remember how long he was awake and his mind was starting to cloud. Without thinking much, he settled into the captain's quarters on the Falcon and fell asleep. A few hours later he woke up rested and tried to prepare for his trip.

 

After making sure his parents were okay, he boarded the Millenium Falcon in Artoo's company for Takodana. Immersed in his thoughts about what to do with a certain girl with hazel eyes, he was startled when the ship gave a beep warning him that they had reached their destination and smiled as the ship left hyperspace, he had hardly felt the time pass. Ben landed the Falcon amidst the vegetation, a little away from the other ships and asked Artoo to keep an eye on the ship.

 

The castle of Maz Kanata stood out in the middle of all the green immensity of Takodana. A very lively song received him when he entered through the castle door and the hall was crowded, as usual, with the most different beings speaking the most different languages, eating, drinking and taking care of their business. He spotted Maz talking to one of her customers, her tiny orange body looking even smaller near the huge being, and when she saw him, she waved goodbye to the client and hurried toward him.

 

"Ben Solo, _finally_."

 

"Hi, Maz." Ben knelt down and hugged her affectionately.

 

"Every time I see you, you seem to have grown up more, boy." She hugged back and smiled. "Why did you take so long to come and talk to me?"

 

"I wanted to have come before, but I was captured by the First Order when I was on a mission in Jakku and had to find a way out. Then we had to evacuate our base because the Order was about to attack us."

 

"Are they all right? Han and Leia?" Ben nodded and she added, "What about my boyfriend?"

 

Ben smiled. "Everyone, including Chewie, is fine now."

 

"That's good."

 

"So, what's so urgent you have to tell me?"

 

"I have something that should be _given_ to you. Come with me."

 

Maz led him to an inner part of her castle and led him down a stone staircase that led to a long corridor full of doors. They walked down the corridor and stopped in front of the last door. Maz opened it, came in and brought back an old wooden chest with her and asked him to open it. Inside was a silver lightsaber and what looked like a few pieces of clothing.

 

"This saber belonged to Anakin Skywalker."

 

" _My grandfather?_ "

 

"Yes, this was his lightsaber before he became Darth Vader. This saber was passed to your uncle Luke by the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi, your grandfather's former master." Ben started to reach for the gun, but hesitated. "Go ahead, take it. This saber is part of your family's legacy and it's time for it to be with you."

 

He stared at the saber for a few seconds and then stared at her, puzzled. "Why give it to me now, Maz?"

 

"The Force has shown me that it is time for it to pass into your hands." She stared at him, "Ben, this saber will somehow _define_ your future."

 

Ben wanted to argue that he already had his own lightsaber and that he didn’t need another, much less one that was part of his family's heavy legacy, but the look in Maz's eyes made him keep any argument to himself. However, instead of taking the saber, Ben closed the small chest and took it in his arms.

 

"If it's so important to you that I..."

 

"This is the _Force's will_ , child, not mine." she said, as if she knew much more than what she was saying to him. She put her hand gently on his arm. "Don’t worry, you'll know the right time to use it."

 

He sighed and gave up, "If it is the Force's will that I take my grandfather's saber, then I'll take it with me." He said and tried to walk back to the exit, but Maz grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

 

"You know you cannot escape the legacy of your family, don’t you?" He looked at the nearest wall, startled by her words, for her reading his feelings so easily. "As heavy as the legacy is, as difficult as it is to be who you are, Ben, you'll never be able to escape your destiny."

 

He looked at her then. "And what is my destiny, Maz? What if I don’t want this destiny? What if I don’t want to be a hero? What if I want to choose my own path and not be the person everyone expects me to be?"

 

"And what kind of person do you want to be, Ben? Which path do you want to go?"

 

He shook his head. "I don’t know. I _still_ don’t know. I feel that I had no choice and that I was thrown into the middle of it all. I'm tired of everyone waiting for me to be a hero like everyone in my family." He swallowed the knot that formed in his throat and looked at her "And the fact that you give me one more piece of that legacy, only makes me even more confused."

 

She gave him an encouraging smile. "Trust the Force, Ben. It will guide your steps and show you your true path. She'll help you find your place in all this."

 

"What if I don’t want to follow the path the Force shows me?"

 

"What if she shows you _exactly_ the path you always wanted to follow and didn’t know?" He was silent and she continued, "The Force has its means to make us what we need to be so we can fulfill its will." She gave him a slight smile "And when the right time comes, you will understand that all this your doubt, all this insecurity and fear, were needed to help you see _what_ _you really want_ and _who you really are_."

 

He didn’t know what to answer her. She was a wise woman, who had seen so much in her long life and he wanted to believe her words. He wanted to believe that the Force would guide him, that the Force would show his true path, his _true destiny_.

 

Maz then led him back to the hall where Ben said goodbye to her, and as he walked back to the Falcon, he felt a presence he definitely didn’t _expect_ to be there. He put the trunk with his grandfather's saber in the captain's quarters and hurried out into the woods.

 

Snoke's apprentice had occupied his thoughts ever since she had kissed him and now, attracted by her signature in the Force, as if she were a magnet and he was a piece of metal, Ben walked toward her _presence_ and easily located her among the trees.

 

Lady Kyra was sitting on a fallen log on the edge of a clearing, with no cloak and no helmet, dressed simply in gray clothes, looking as normal as any other girl. She seemed to be in deep meditation, her eyes were closed, her face serene and he could feel that the darkness in her had several small points of light, as if she were a starry sky.

 

He leaned his shoulder against a tree, crossed his arms over his chest, and watched her for a few seconds before saying, "What are you doing here, _Scarlet Death_?"

 

She took a deep breath and released the air slowly "No such formality is required, Ben. Please call me Rey." She opened her eyes and fixed them on his face and he thought about how that name matched her. "This is my real name, the name my parents gave me. It was the only thing left of them." She took another deep breath, as if savoring the clear air of the forest.

 

" _Why_ are you here?"

 

"I needed to meditate." she looked around "Even after years away from the desert, I still wonder how much green there is in the galaxy." She stood up and stared at him. "I paid a visit to your uncle's planet."

 

He arched an eyebrow, curious "Oh, yeah? And how it was?"

 

" _It was not_ what I expected."

 

He waited for her to continue, but she just stared at him, as if she wanted to memorize every trace of his face.

 

"How did you know I'd be here?"

 

"I didn’t know."

 

"Didn’t you?"

 

She shook her head, denying "I needed a quiet place to meditate after my failure and this was the first one that went through my mind. But I admit that when I felt your presence in the Force, I thought I'd say hi."

 

He frowned, feeling a slight irritation. "Do you use me as an instrument to try to destroy everything I love and then think of saying hi'as if _nothing_ had happened? As if you hadn’t deceived me and used me?"

 

She shrugged. "We're in the middle of a war. You cannot blame me for using all the tricks I have to get what I want." She gave him a faint smile. "Besides, I remember very well that you were suffocated by your family's legacy and were willing to die to be free from this burden. In the end, you were going to get exactly what you asked for in the interrogation room."

 

Her words turned his irritation into anger and he shouted "I opened up to you and you used me!" In his voice there was a trace of pain mixed with anger as he continued "I cannot believe I thought you could be saved!"

 

" _Saved_?" She said with a frown in confusion. "Ah... you mean _turn_ me to the light side?" he gave a slight nod, already sorry for saying it out loud "I'm following the path I've chosen myself and don’t need to be saved from the dark side. You're a complete fool if you think you can save me or trust someone like me." He just stared at her as she took a few steps toward him as she said, "You were not the first one I used to get what I wanted, and certainly will not be the last. I will not rest until I have Luke's head as a _trophy_ , until I see the Resistance _reduced_ to dust and until the whole Galaxy is _prostrate_ at my master's feet."

 

Her words filled his body with blinding fury and made his blood boil, and for the first time in a long time, Ben allowed himself to be overcome by anger, let the darkness speak louder than the light. Instinctively, he drew his lightsaber from his waist and turned it on. "I cannot believe I fell in... that I _trusted_ you, you _treacherous snake_!" He said going up to her.

 

Rey activated her double saber and deflected his strike easily, but Ben continued with his furious attack. He felt the anger flow through his body, burning him with an intensity he hadn’t felt in a long time, a rage so strong it hurt. He wanted to hurt her, he wanted to make her feel pain, as much pain as he felt when he thought he would lose his family, a pain as great as he felt realizing she had used him!

 

"Let your anger feed your power, Ben," she said as she shifted easily from his blows. "Let the darkness grow, surrender to the dark side, and know the true power."

 

For a moment Ben wanted to do exactly what she had said. He was _so angry_! And being honest with himself, he knew that the anger he felt wasn’t at the woman standing before him, but at himself for not having seen that she was using him, for almost provoking the destruction of the Resistance and his family, and, above all else, anger at having opened his mind and heart to her.

 

While he attacked and attacked and she just shied away from his attacks, he felt that with each blow, his anger diminished and when she realized it, she changed from defensive to offensive. In seconds she disarmed him and struck his chest with a powerful kick. When Ben realized it, he was lying on the floor with Rey sitting on his abdomen and the beam of her lightsaber almost touching the skin of his throat, the red light illuminating his surprised face.

 

"Do you surrender?" She asked "Or should I finish my work _this time_?"

 

"I will not surrender." he assured her, catching his breath.

 

"Then you leave me no choice." she said resolutely.

 

"Do what you have to do." he countered, all the anger drained from his body.

 

The two of them stared at each other for a moment and the determination in her eyes gave way to sadness and that same sadness was in her voice when she said, "Ben, please don’t make me kill you. The only one of your family I want to kill is Luke."

 

"Rey, you are strong and skillful Force user, but you still have no chance against a Jedi master."

 

Her eyes flashed with anger and for a moment, Ben thought she would _actually_ kill him. But to his surprise, she turned off her lightsaber, drew Ben's with the Force, and handed it to him. She got off of his body, sat down on the floor beside him and looked at him, her face filled with frustration. "I cannot kill you. I know what I _should_ do, but _I cannot_." She snorted and looked around them. "I shouldn’t even be here. I should have left the moment I felt your presence in the Force, but I couldn’t, I needed..." she shut up, as if she had said too much.

 

But Ben didn’t need her to finish the sentence to understand how she felt. After all, he might as well have left when he felt her. He could have gone his way, but chose to stay. He chose to go meet her, even though he knew it was a bad idea. Yes, of course he knew _why_ she was still there.

 

He sat down in front of her. "You needed to see me again, didn’t you?" She nodded slowly and he waited for her to say something, but Rey only stared at him with eyes full of guilt and fear and seemed unable to find her voice. Ben studied her face for a few seconds. "You cannot forget that kiss, can you?" He said in a low, soft voice.

 

"I cannot." she admitted in a whisper.

 

She looked _so fragile_ , _so lost_... and he didn’t like to see the fear and guilt that was on her face.

 

"I also cannot forget, and at the same time, I wanted to kill you for what you did to me, for having put everything I loved at risk." he admitted. "But after all, the memory of that kiss refuses to leave me. You're on my mind all the time. And I cannot stop thinking how far I could go, what I would be able to do, to sacrifice so that you embrace the light and refuse the darkness. I wonder if I'll be able to win this battle, if I'll be strong enough to save the gentle and frightened girl I know who lives behind the mask of the Scarlet Death."

 

Her eyes locked on his lips, and without thinking he pulled her to him and kissed her. Rey corresponded to the kiss with a hunger that reflected his, her hands locked in his hair and his hands grabbed her waist, placing her body as close to his. His body burned as if it were on fire and the more he kissed her, the more he felt her skin against his, the more he wanted to kiss her and touch her. She brushed her lips from his, but only to place soft kisses on his face.

 

"I’m glad you didn’t leave when you felt my presence." he said breathlessly.

 

She looked him in the eye, her quick, shallow breath tickling his face. "I couldn’t make myself leave without being sure you were okay." she said and laid soft kisses on his jaw and neck.

 

"You have no idea how much I wanted to see you again."

 

"I've longed for this moment as much as you." She kissed him again.

 

"It doesn’t have to be just a moment, Rey," he said as their lips parted. "That can be _anything_ we want it to be."

 

Rey's face was serious, she let go of his embrace and stood up. "Ben, we both know it will go nowhere. The only thing we can have are stolen moments, moments like this." He also stood up "Me and you... this would be _too complicated_ , _too dangerous_ and..."

 

"You don’t need to be afraid. We can find a way to make it work." She shook her head, denying it and he took her in his arms and kissed her, unable to stay away from the touch of her lips. "Don’t you think it's worth a try? Do you want to give up without even thinking about the possibilities, without even trying to make it work?"

 

"We're at war, Ben and we can die at any moment. Maybe one has to die at the other's hands. It doesn’t make sense to make things more complicated than they should be."

 

Ben brought his lips to hers and fixed his eyes on hers. "Rey, you cannot deny that you have feelings for me."

 

"This is all so new to me, Ben." she said, her lips against his. "I'm confused... I... I still don’t know _what_ I feel for you."

 

Ben stroked her face, eyes still fixed on hers. "I know what I feel for you." He kissed her before continuing. "We both spent our lives in fear that we would never find someone who sees us as we are, that we would never find our place, our _belonging_ and it is this fear that united us. Your loneliness and mine are the same and when I'm with you, I don’t feel alone anymore. Never has anyone else made me feel complete as you make me feel. It's as if I've lived all my life waiting for you and now that I've found you, it's like I can finally breathe..." He gave her a big smile "I bet you feel something like that, or you wouldn’t be here, in my arms. And I'm not willing to give it up, Rey, no matter how complicated and dangerous it may be. I _refuse_ to give you up."

 

There were tears not spilled in her eyes when she said " Even though I feel the same way, it would still be treason. Maybe you will not be punished for it if the Resistance finds out, but if my master finds out about it... _about us_... he'll _kill_ me." She said stroking his face. "Or worse, he'll make me kill you just to teach me a lesson."

 

"Then we can run away, leave what we are, what we know, everything back and forget that the Resistance and the First Order exist. The galaxy is vast, no one will find us if we don’t want to be found."

 

Rey stared at him and there was a mixture of surprise and hope in her eyes "Would you leave your family behind for _me_?"

 

He nodded. "You just say you want to leave, and we're going."

 

Ben's eyes showed his sincerity and for a moment, Rey seemed tempted to accept his offer. She smiled, her eyes full of hope and expectation... but then, her smile died and hope was gone from her eyes. "I'm sorry, but as much as I want, I cannot do that." She slipped out of his arms once more. "Not before destroying Luke Skywalker. I'll never be able to live in peace knowing that this killer didn’t pay for the innocent lives he took. With Snoke's help, it will not take much longer."

 

Ben stared at her in disbelief. How could she rule out the chance to be happy, to run away from all this with him? How could she want to stay with someone like Snoke? Couldn’t she see the monster he was? Couldn’t she see that he was just using her because of her power and that he would discard her as soon as he got everything he wanted?

 

"I don’t understand... why do you trust Snoke so _blindly_?" He said in exasperation.

 

"He rescued me from my miserable life in the desert. He promised to help me with my revenge, he took me as his apprentice, and trained me, and helped me to become stronger and stronger."

 

Ben stared at her for a few seconds, pondering whether or not he would talk about what Snoke had done to him. "He also said that you were _unique_ , that the fact that you were born with the light and the darkness in balance within you made you the _perfect_ apprentice? That he had never met anyone so powerful, with as much potential as you?"

 

She looked at him suspiciously. "How do you..."

 

"How do I know all this?" She nodded. "I didn’t need to look into your mind to know that." Ben ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. He didn’t like to remember this part of his life, but he needed Rey to understand that her master wasn’t who she believed he was. "He whispered exactly the same things in my mind. During my childhood and part of my adolescence, Snoke tried to recruit me as his apprentice. He wanted me beside him because of my bloodline, because I was Darth Vader's grandson. He said that I would have a great future if I joined him, that I could have whatever I wanted and that the galaxy would prostrate at our feet."

 

"Snoke whispered things in my mind, he tried to manipulate me and he did everything to turn me to the dark side and reject the light within me. My mother did everything to protect me and when she realized that Snoke's dark influence was growing stronger and that I was getting more and more isolated from our family, she decided that it was time to tell me certain things. Together, she, my father and uncle told me all about my family's past, at least all they could find out about my grandparents."

 

"Knowing the truth made me see that Snoke wanted to drive me away from my family so he could use me just as the old Emperor had used my grandfather. He wanted me to be the next Vader, he wanted to use my powers to help him conquer the galaxy, but my family formed a protective shield around me and it was thanks to that that I got rid of that monster's toxic influence. Over time, Luke taught me how to block Snoke and how to control my growing power and I think that forced him to look for other apprentice candidates. If it weren’t for the protection of my family, I could be in your place."

 

He stared at her, searching her face for signs that she had changed her mind, but his revelation seemed to have had the opposite effect to what he had intended.

 

"If your uncle hadn’t killed my parents, I wouldn’t be at Snoke's side either. I would be with my family. I would have a life completely different from the one I have now." She said "You were Snoke's first choice and he did what he could to have you by his side, but do you really think he _manipulated_ me to be his apprentice? That somehow he _induced_ me to hate your uncle?" She gave him a tired smile "I had a choice, Ben and I _chose_ this path. I _chose_ revenge. I _chose_ to abandon the light and embrace the darkness because I wanted to be powerful enough to kill the legendary Luke Skywalker. When Snoke pulled me out of the desert and offered me the chance to train so that one day I could avenge my parents, I _didn’t hesitate_ to accept. He gave me exactly what _I wanted_."

 

"Rey, Snoke didn’t do that because he wanted to help you, he just did it to use your power to help the First Order cause pain and destruction in the galaxy! Cannot you see that you're causing the same pain that you accuse my uncle of having caused you? Don’t you see that innocent people are dying in the name of Snoke's ambition?" He reached out to touch her face, but she recoiled "I feel there's still light in you. You're _still_ not the monster Snoke wants you to be and you can choose to leave all that behind and walk away with me."

 

"I'm sorry, Ben, but I will not give up my revenge. Not for you, not for anyone."

 

"Cannot you see that your _obsession_ with revenge on my uncle will destroy you?"

 

"I don’t care!" She shouted.

 

He took a deep breath and said calmly, "Rey, the Luke Skywalker I know would _never_ do anything so cruel."

 

She looked at him with pain and tears in her eyes. "So you think I made it up, Ben? That somehow I've created a fake memory where your uncle kills my family?"

 

"I didn’t mean..." he began and she walked resolutely toward him, a frightening expression on her face.

 

"I'm going to show you the _monster_ that Luke Skywalker really is." she said, stopping in front of him. Rey took a deep breath and then Ben felt a pressure on the Force around his body, closed his eyes and found himself again in her mind. And the scene she showed him made him completely _horrified_. He clearly saw a younger version of his uncle murdering an innocent couple and hurting a helpless little girl. He could smell the burnt skin, hear the sound of bones breaking, feel the fear and despair of the little girl watching her parents die.

 

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she pushed him out of her mind. "And then?" She asked, her voice filled with challenge "Do you still think I made it up? Do you still believe he's _innocent_?"

 

Before he could stop himself, Ben pulled her into his arms and she buried her face in his chest. He wished he could _erase_ that memory. He wished he could _change_ the past. He wanted to be able to _pull_ all the pain _out_ of her. "I'm sorry." he said and he felt her slowly relax against his chest "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." It seemed to be the only thing he could say.

 

At that moment, his heart was in conflict. Part of him was quite sure that his uncle was innocent, and the other part was outraged by what he had just seen. His brain just couldn’t connect the Luke Skywalker he had known all his life to the cold killer he had just seen in Rey's memories.

 

The forest began to darken as she disentangled herself from his arms. "I must go."

 

"Please, don’t go."

 

"I have to go. Soon they'll miss me and send someone to find me." She said and started to walk away, but he wasn’t ready to let her go.

 

"One last kiss, then?" Ben asked, and she turned to him again "Before we split up to fight to the death in this war?"

 

For a few seconds, she seemed not to know what to do, torn between leaving or attending to his request and Ben stood, waiting for her to decide. Rey then walked back up to him and placed her hands on either side of his face, her thumb caressing his lower lip, her eyes fixed on his. Slowly, she brought her lips to his, gently touching his and closing her eyes. His hands rested on her waist and he pulled her body against his, kissing her intensely, but too soon, her lips parted from his. She hugged him and whispered in his ear "Ben, we must forget that all this happened and go our separate ways." And before he could protest, she kissed him again. "I'm sorry that I used you to get the location of the Resistance. I really am." she said when their lips parted and left.

 

He watched her disappear into the trees and then sat down on the fallen log she had been sitting on and looked out at the forest in front of him. Rey's scent was still on his clothes and her taste in his mouth as he pondered what he would do next. There were only two paths ahead of him. The first was the safest: ignore what he felt for Rey, stand by the Resistance and fight until they liberate the galaxy from the hands of the First Order. The second was the most dangerous and risky: to do what his instincts and heart told him to do and then face whatever the consequences might be.

 

His mother's words came to his mind.

 

_Believing that the people we love can be saved is not a weakness, Ben. This is our greatest strength._

 

And then he knew which path he would go.

 

"You will not give up your revenge and I will not give you up." he said and walked back to the Falcon.

 

Maz was waiting for him inside the ship. "I felt another very strong presence in the Force, a dark presence and I was worried about you, Ben." she said.

 

"It was Lady Kira." he informed her bluntly.

 

"Snoke's apprentice? On here?"

 

"Yes, she said that..."

 

"Wait. What happened?" Maz interrupted him. "You're not the same Ben Solo I saw just now."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

She stared at him for a few seconds. "Same eyes, different people. You've finally figured out which path you want to go."

 

He smiled and nodded. "I need to unravel the truth about her, Maz. About Lady Kira. I feel... I know there's still light inside her. I've been in her mind and I know she's still not the monster Snoke wants her to be. She told me that my uncle killed her whole family and that's why she joined Snoke. She showed me her memory, but even so I still cannot believe my uncle would do that."

 

Maz stared at him for a few seconds. "You want to save her from herself. You think she's not completely lost to the dark side, that you can bring her back to the light."

 

" I _know_ she can still be saved, but I have no idea where to start."

 

Maz nodded and gave him a satisfied smile. "I'll help you. Snoke found her in Jakku and that's where you should start your quest. When you get there, look for Unkar Plutt in the Niima outpost, he's been running the place for decades."

 

"How do you know him?"

 

"He's been coming here for years and if there's anyone who can know anything about this woman's past, it's him."

 

"Thanks, Maz." Ben said and hugged her.

 

"I hope you can free the woman you love." she said and left.

 

Ben sat across from the Millenium Falcon controls. "Artoo. How about we go to Jakku before we go home?" the droid asked him what he thought he could find on a backwater world like that and Ben smiled. "I hope to find the truth. And, if I am lucky, also a little _hope_."

 

 

 

***** The Skywalker Twins *****

 

The arrival of Poe Dameron and Luke Skywalker at the base at Yavin 4 left its new inhabitants in a rush. Luke nodded stiffly to some, and Poe hugged some of his friends as they walked toward the command room where they knew they would surely find General Leia.

 

She was in the middle of a conversation with Korr Sella when she saw the two men entering the command room. Leia said goodbye to the girl and watched them as they approached her. Poe greeted her and she thanked him for taking care of her brother and dismissed him with a faint smile.

 

Standing in the middle of the command room, the Skywalker twins stared at each other for a few seconds, and then both went to meet each other at the same time. Luke held his sister firmly in his arms and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

 

"How good to see you again, my brother. I was afraid that Poe wouldn’t get to you in time."

 

"I missed you, Leia. I missed you and our family." He looked her in the eye. "I'm sorry I moved away from you all and thank you for continuing to believe me when I didn’t know what to do."

 

She shook her head and smiled slightly. "I understand you had to stay away from everything after what happened to your students, Luke."

 

He nodded, grateful for his sister's understanding. It hadn’t been easy for him to process everything that had happened to his students, and it was even harder to try to forgive himself for not being able to protect the lives of those who trusted him. Immersed in his pain and shame, he had decided to exile himself in Ahch-To with the intention of dying on that planet and being the last Jedi in the galaxy. He had resolved to isolate himself from everyone, from his friends, from his family, and even from the Force itself, as a way of punishing himself for his failure. And he was very good at it when Poe Dameron came to the island saying that there was a new evil, called First Order, threatening peace and freedom in the galaxy and that this new evil was hunting him, that Ben had allowed himself to be captured for protect his location and that it was only a matter of time before his enemies found him as well. After hearing Poe's words, the only thing Luke could think of was that his family needed him and that _he couldn’t fail them_ , either.

 

"How is my nephew? Poe told me he was captured by the First Order."

 

"He's okay. Snoke's apprentice freed him, but when he got to the base at D'Qar he found a tracker in his clothes and we had to evacuate in a hurry."

 

"Glad you managed to escape in time, Leia."

 

"Yes, but the base has been destroyed. I received a report saying that one of the First Order destroyers fired at the base and nothing remained."

 

"They must have done this to ensure that it wouldn’t be used again by the Resistance or by anyone against them. It's less a place to look for their enemies."

 

Leia nodded "Have you ever thought about why the First Order was hunting you?"

 

He took a deep breath, looking tired as he said, "I suppose Snoke must be wanting to finish the job he started at my training temple and extinguish the Jedi order once and for all."

 

"Actually, it's his apprentice who wants to find you. She is known as Lady Kira and she told Ben that you killed her parents when she was just a little girl and left her in the desert to die." Luke stared at her, not knowing what to say "She has wanted to take revenge on you for all her life and for what Ben said, she is capable of destroying the whole galaxy if it means your death."

 

"Kill innocent people and leave a little girl in the desert to die?" He said. "Leia, I would never do such a thing!"

 

"I know that, Luke. And Ben also told her this, but I don’t think he convinced her, after all she used him to get the location of our base."

 

"Maybe Snoke's manipulating her." Leia frowned, and he continued, "There are ways to influence _weaker_ minds with the Force."

 

"Ben told me she _remembers_ watching you kill her parents."

 

Luke thought for a moment, "So the only explanation is that Snoke must have altered her memories, created and implanted a false memory between the true ones."

 

"Is that possible?" Leia asked, horrified.

 

Luke thought for a moment, " So maybe Snoke has altered her memories. Maybe he erased her true memories and replaced them with fakes."

 

"Is that possible?" Leia asked, horrified.

 

"Many things are possible with the Force, Leia. Wonderful things and terrible things, especially for anyone who has knowledge about the Force and is as powerful as Snoke is."

 

"You need to tell Ben that."

 

"Sure, where is he?"

 

"He's not at the base. He went to Takodana to talk to Maz and just sent us a message that he needed to go to Jakku."

 

"Jakku?" Luke repeated, frowning. "What could he want in that junk yard?"

 

"It's the planet where Snoke found Lady Kira. Ben is convinced there's still light in her and this trip must be part of some plan for him to bring her back to the light."

 

Luke stared at her for a moment and smiled. "He really is a Skywalker, isn’t he?"

 

"Yes." Leia leaned closer to her brother and whispered "And he's in love with her."

 

That made Luke laugh, "He's just like his father."

 

Leia laughed "Apparently he inherited the best qualities of the two families."

 

Luke nodded and then asked, "Tell me more about the First Order and how things are in the galaxy."

 

Leia's countenance was gloomy. "The First Order is willing to dominate everyone, Luke, and the number of systems that fall before it only increases. The Senate continues to think that it represents no real danger and refuses to see the truth that is right before their eyes." She took a deep breath and continued, "I've done everything I can to get more allies, but nothing I've said or done is enough. The military power in the hands of Snoke is far superior to ours and without the help of the Senate, our chances of defeating the First Order alone are small. And that makes me feel bounded hands and feet, unable to do anything that can effectively protect the galaxy from Snoke's nefarious plans." She looked him in the eyes and looked lost in a way he had never seen before "Could this be how our mother felt when the Senate refused to send aid to Naboo? Impotent? Trapped? Hopeless?"

 

Luke held her hand between his "You're the strongest and most extraordinary person I've ever met in my life." His sister tried to protest, but he continued. "That's the truth, Leia. You never lost hope. _Never_. Even when our father destroyed Alderaan and made you watch the destruction of your people, you continued to have hope when many would have surrendered to despair. You fought for the galaxy to be released from the hands of Palpatine and now you fight so Snoke doesn’t get his hands on it. Our mother would be very proud of the woman you became." Leia smiled and Luke gently wiped the tears from his sister's cheek. "I, on the other hand, let myself lose hope after what Snoke did to my students. I should be there to defend them. I was responsible for their safety, for their lives. I was the great Luke Skywalker, the legendary last Jedi and I couldn’t protect them." Luke took a deep breath, his voice choked with the pain of memories, "But now I'm here to help and make up for all the time I've been away. I'll do whatever you need me to do."

 

She laid a kiss on his cheek and Luke realized how much he had missed being with his twin. She looked at him and he could see that her mind was already working on some plan.

 

"In fact, there is something you can do to help us."

 

"Just say it, Leia."

 

"I need you to go to the Senate and talk to them about the threat that the First Order poses to the galaxy. They have already destroyed our base in D'Qar and almost managed to kill us. My name has lost prestige and credibility since the truth about our father was revealed, but everyone knows the legend of the last Jedi Luke Skywalker. Please use this to our advantage and ask them to join us, or at least send us the reinforcements we need." He nodded "I would like to do this myself, but I know that by the time I set foot on that planet I will be a dead woman. But I will send Korr Sella with you, she is of my utmost confidence and I will ask her to schedule a hearing for you in the Senate. Moreover, Korrie know some senators and will be of great help."

 

"I'll do my best, Leia, I promise."

 

Leia smiled, her heart filled with hope.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it doesn’t take another three months to update this fanfic. And, if you like how I write, you might want to take a look at my other Reylo stories while you wait for the update.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading it!
> 
> Did you like it? Didn't? Please, let me know. Leave a comment. Leave kudos.
> 
> Say "Hello" to me on Tumblr and Twitter: @filhadoboto


End file.
